Page 98 of Between Us

“Thank you,” Roman said coolly, his voice carrying an edge to it. He didn't care for niceties. He wanted them gone and fast.

The officer nodded and with one last look at Roman's quiet family, he followed his partner out of the waiting room.

“O, Bozhe,” Yana said with an annoyed sigh. “Nakonets, oni ushli.”

Roman turned to her with a dark look. He’d almost forgotten about her. “What the fuck are you still doing here?”

She flinched at the harshness in his voice. “He is my husband.”

“Let's not pretend you care about him. Your job here is done. Feel free to leave at any moment.”

“Roman—”

“I'm not going to repeat myself, Yana.” He was done playing by Vitaly's rules. Everyone stared, but no one dared say a word. “I've had a long night and I'm running very low on patience.” Turning around, he dismissed her with a final, “You have thirty seconds to remove yourself from my sight.”

She hesitated for a moment as she seemed to consider her options. Roman heard the click of her heels against white tiles as she left in a hurry.

Alessandra looked at him from where she was seated in one of the chairs. With a frown, he stopped in front of her and asked, “What?”

“You look upset.”

“I'm tired. And irritated. You should go home and sleep.”

“What about you?”

“I have some things to take care of first.” He checked his watch then glanced at his sister. “You should go with Alessa. I don't want you alone for the time being.”

Tatyana was shaking her head before he could finish his last sentence. “I don't want to leave.”

“There's nothing for you to do here. I'll make sure he's safe. Then all we can do is wait.”

“Yeah, you need to go lie down,” Alek agreed in a raspy voice. “I'll stay here with Roman.”

While Tatyana looked torn between staying and leaving, Roman was already reaching for his phone. He called Vladik and instructed him to have the car ready for the girls. Seeing the decision was already made for her, his sister grabbed her bag and stood from her seat.

Alessandra stopped in front of him and touched his chest. “Please don't stay too long. You need rest, too.”

He kissed her cheek. “Don't worry about me. I'll be home soon.” Lowering his voice, he pressed his next words to her ear. “Please make sure she eats something and actually goes to bed.”

“Will do.”

Alone with his brother, Roman gave him a concerned look. “You good?”

Alek nodded. He looked exhausted but he seemed to have gotten over the initial shock. “What do you need me to do?”

“Talk to Stepan and get a couple of men stationed outside the ICU. Anything suspicious gets reported directly to me.”

“Anything else?”

“Not right now. Go home to sleep and I'll see you later this afternoon.”

With Alek also gone and the waiting room almost empty, Roman could focus on the most important task at hand. He had to find out if the Italians were behind the attack.

Letting out a deep sigh, he retrieved his cell phone and made some more calls.

???

The sun was just beginning to rise when Roman finally made it home. Unlocking the front door, he stepped into the foyer and headed straight for the kitchen.

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